A judge in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday denied a motion by the city of Whittier to stay a lawsuit filed against the city by three residents who claim the city’s at-large voting system prevents Latinos from being elected to City Council. Judge Michael Johnson said he did not see any concrete prejudice and the that stay was not warranted.

“We’re pleased with the denial of the motion,” said Louis Reyes, a spokesman for the Whittier Latino Coalition, which supports the lawsuit.

He said the coalition believes the city is stalling rather than attempting to resolve the dispute.

The city argued that the parties in the lawsuit should not be spending money on the case until after a June 3 election when voters will be asked if they want to change the city charter to allow district-based elections, which the lawsuit seeks. The charter currently requires at-large elections.

The city also argued that allowing the lawsuit to proceed puts an unnecessary burden on city staff to provide discovery documents.

“It is unfortunate that Whittier residents’ tax dollars will continue to be spent on this case,” Assistant City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow said in an email Friday. “Nothing about this decision affects what is most important, that the people of Whittier are able to exercise their constitutional right to vote and decide the voting future of their city,” she said. “We sincerely hope that the voters will not let this purely procedural ruling deter them from voting at either of the City’s upcoming elections.”

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit have filed a motion seeking to halt the city’s planned April 8 election for two City Council seats. A hearing on that motion is set for March 18.